Commission proposes School Fruit Scheme
worth €90 million per year

The European Commission today proposed to establish
a European Union-wide scheme to provide free fruit and vegetables to school
children. European funds worth €90 million every year would pay for the
purchase and distribution of fresh fruit and vegetables to schools, and this
money would be matched by national funds in those Member States which chose to
make use of the programme. This is the latest stage in the Commission's efforts
to improve health and nutrition, as set out in the 'Strategy for Europe on
Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity and related health issues'. The School Fruit
Scheme aims to encourage good eating habits in young people, which studies show
tend to be carried on into later life. Besides providing free fruit and
vegetables, the scheme would require participating Member States to set up
national strategies including educational and awareness-raising initiatives and
the sharing of best practice. An estimated 22 million children in the EU are
overweight. More than 5 million these are obese and this figure is expected to
rise by 400,000 every year. Improved nutrition can play an important part in
combating this problem. The proposal will now be sent to the Council and
European Parliament.

"This proposal shows we're serious about taking concrete steps to fight
obesity," said Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural
Development. "Giving kids good habits at an early age is crucial as they will
carry these into later life. Too many of our children eat far too little fruit
and vegetables and often don't appreciate how delicious they are. You only have
to walk down any high street in Europe to see the extent of the problems we face
with overweight kids. Let's do something about it."

The proposal for a School Fruit Scheme follows an undertaking made during the
negotiations on the reform of the Common Market Organisation for fruit and
vegetables in June 2007. Since then, the Commission has engaged in a
wide-ranging public consultation and an in-depth impact assessment of different
options.

Experts agree that a healthy diet can play an integral role in reducing
obesity rates, and cutting the risk of serious health problems – such as
cardiovascular disease and diabetes2– in later life. Key to this is the
consumption of sufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables. The World Health
Organisation recommends a daily net intake of 400 grams of fruit and vegetables
per person. The majority of Europeans fail to meet this target and the downward
trend is particularly evident among the young.

Studies show that healthy eating habits are formed in childhood. People who
eat a lot of fruit and vegetables in childhood remain good consumers. Those who
eat little tend not to change their ways and also pass on their habits to their
own children. Research has also shown that families with a lower level of income
tend to consume less fruit and vegetables. As such, the free provision in
schools of these healthy products can make a real difference, particularly in
underprivileged areas.

Commission analysis of existing national policies and consultations with
experts have demonstrated that the benefits of the school scheme can be enhanced
if the provision of fruit is accompanied by awareness-raising and educational
measures to teach children the importance of good eating habits. Encouragement
will also be given to networking between different national authorities which
run successful school fruit schemes. These already exist in some EU countries,
and take many different forms. But there is much more that can be done and this
EU scheme provides a perfect basis to get new programmes off the ground. The
Commission is putting on the table €90 million per year for the provision
of fruit and vegetables in schools. Governments would have the choice of whether
to participate or not. The programmes would be co-financed, either on a 50/50
basis, or 75/25 in the so-called 'convergence regions', where GDP/capita is
lower. This money could not be used to replace existing national financing, but
would encourage additional activities, be it linked to existing programmes or
creating completely new initiatives. And Member States could of course add extra
money if they wanted to.

National authorities would have to draw up a national strategy in conjunction
with public health and education authorities, also involving the industry and
interest groups, tailored of course to national preferences. The programmes
would begin at the start of the 2009/2010 school year.

Commissioner Fischer Boel launched the School Fruit Scheme today at an event
at the Falkenhausschule, Gross-Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse 23, Kehl, Germany.
Photographs and video footage is available from: http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/ebs/schedule.cfm